Independent participatory media for Iran

Iran’s Department of the Environment says air pollution in the country and particularly in Tehran has reached critical levels and it called for “standard gasoline” to be imported.

In recent weeks, air pollution in Tehran has become progressively worse, leading to school closures and a demand to reduce traffic and other activities in the city.

The Department of the Environment has announced that a major cause of the air quality crisis is the distribution of substandard gasoline.

Until 2009, Iran imported 40 percent of its gasoline needs, but EU and U.S. sanctions on Iran have forced the Islamic Republic to rapidly increase its domestic gasoline production; however, there has been serious criticism about its quality.